Photographing the Night Sky by Alyn Wallace and Published by fotoVUE - On My Bookshelf S06E03
Photographing the night sky is difficult and requires specialised equipment. Right? Wrong! In Photographing the Night Sky, Alyn Wallace has written an encyclopaedia of everything you need to know to learn and develop your skills as a night sky photographer. Can Alyn make the capture of night sky images something all photographers can do?
An Encyclopedia of the Night Sky
I’ve always been a great admirer of night sky photography. My appreciation for this genre of photography stems from growing up in the Highlands of Scotland, where, on a clear you could see what felt like the entire universe above you head.
It is however a genre of photography that I’ve never properly attempted myself. The main stumbling block for me has been a lack of skills and knowledge, but also, it is perhaps that while I don’t mind getting up early in the morning, I’m a bit less keen on staying out all night.
When I received my copy of Photographing the Night Sky by Alyn Wallace I decided to change that. There was no point in having a copy of this book if I didn’t put what I learnt to good use.
So, in this special episode of On My Bookshelf, I not only tell you all about the encyclopedic levels of information in this book, but I also share the photographs that I captured using the knowledge I gained from this book. Enjoy!
✔️ Use the discount code JULIAN to get 20% off all books at fotovue.com
🛒 You can purchase Photographing the Night Sky by Alyn Wallace, here - https://www.fotovue.com/shop/books/photographing-the-night-sky-softback/
Night Sky Photographs from Dartmoor
The Milky Way over Great Staple Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/4, 10 sec at ISO 12800.
The Milky Way over Great Staple Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 14mm, f/4, 10 sec at ISO 12800.
The Landscape Photography Workshop by Mark Bauer and Ross Hoddinott - On My Bookshelf S06E02
In their updated edition of The Landscape Photography Workshop, two of the UKs leading landscape photographers, Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer, are aiming to teach you everything you need to know to take amazing landscape photographs. Have they succeeded?
An Updated Edition
As they did last year with The Art of Landscape Photography, Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer, have now updated The Landscape Photography Workshop. The updated edition of The Art of Landscape Photography is a book I can easily recommend to anyone wanting to develop their skills in composition. So, when I heard they were also updating The Landscape Photography Workshop, I thought I’d better check it out to see if it would become my book recommendation for those want to learn more about the technical aspects of landscape photography.
Well, the updated edition has arrived, I’ve read it and I can now share my thoughts in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf!
You can buy both updated editions of the books with the links below. They make an excellent pairing!
🛒 Landscape Photography Workshop (Updated Edition) - https://amzn.to/3qBTHIW
🛒 The Art of Landscape Photography (Updated Edition) - https://amzn.to/45Z3WHn
APOLLO Remastered by Andy Saunders - On My Bookshelf S06E01
Many of us will be familiar with the photography of the Apollo missions but thanks to some painstaking work by Andy Saunders we can now see the highest quality Apollo photographs ever produced. In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at Apollo Remastered to see if this is the definitive record of the Apollo missions.
History Restored
I’ve always had a fascination with space, particularly with the Apollo missions. Despite the advances in technology since those early lunar missions, in my lifetime no one has been back to the moon. Most of my understanding of the Apollo missions comes from movies such as First Man or Apollo 13.
One of the best Apollo films I’ve seen though is a documentary called Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller. Despite using the original film footage from that mission, this film when viewed in 4K Ultra HD simply looks (and sounds) stunning. It blows me away every time I watch it. The clarity of the footage must be seen to be believed.
In Apollo Remastered, Andy Saunders has taken the latest high-resolution scans of the original film stocks and painstakingly remastered them to create the highest quality Apollo photographs ever produced. Like the documentary footage from Apollo 11, it looks like some of these photographs were captured just a few years ago.
But Apollo Remastered is more than just a collection of photographs. It has pages of text which describe all the missions, from Mercury, Gemini, and all the way to the final lunar mission, Apollo 17. It also tells you about the importance photography had for Apollo, the equipment used, and how Andy used the latest techniques to restore these wonderful, and historically important photographs.
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I look at Apollo Remastered to see if this is now the definitive record of the Apollo missions.
✔️ You can purchase of a copy of Apollo Remastered by Andy Saunders here - https://amzn.to/3xR940D
✔️ You can purchase of a copy of Apollo 11 on 4k Ultra HD/Blu-Ray/DVD here - https://amzn.to/3KF6KRL
🎥 Apollo Remastered - An interview with Andy Saunders by Mc2 Photography - https://youtu.be/HgYSdOi4u5A
Landscape Photography Audiobook - Ross Hoddinott & Daniel Lezano - On My Bookshelf S03E12
Have you just got a CAMERA? Are you new to LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY? Are you looking to gain a better understanding of landscape photography TECHNIQUE? If so, then "Landscape Photography: For Mirrorless and Digital SLR Users" by Ross Hoddinott and Daniel Lezano could be for you. In this special audiobook edition of On My Bookshelf, I tell you all about this unique title.
Learning Landscape Photography While on the Move
I spend a lot of time in the car travelling to locations for my landscape photography. Even though I’ve spent most of 2022 photographing my local area (i.e., Dartmoor), I still spend anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes just getting to a location. That’s not to mention how long it takes to walk to the spot I want to photograph after I’ve parked!
I’m not complaining. I’m just highlighting how much time I spend on the move. To make those car journeys pass a little quicker I love to listen to audiobooks. If you’ve ever been put off by the size of the Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones books, then the audiobook could be the perfect option.
However, I’d never considered listening to an audiobook to learn landscape photography. Sure, I listen to a lot of photography podcasts, but can you teach landscape photography from an audiobook. After all, photography is such a visual medium how can you teach landscape photography without seeing anything?
Ross Hoddinott and Daniel Lezano believe they can and they sent me a copy of their audiobook “Landscape Photography: For Mirrorless and Digital SLR Users” to try out. I must admit that I was rather curious, so I put it to the test, and I share my thoughts on this audiobook title in this episode of On My Bookshelf.
If you like to pick up a copy of “Landscape Photography: For Mirrorless and Digital SLR Users” by Ross Hoddinott and Daniel Lezano, you can do so here - https://amzn.to/3YVL1tR
We May As Well Dance by Valda Bailey and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S05E11
In this episode of On My Bookshelf I look at We May as Well Dance by Valda Bailey. Is book of abstract and expressionist images, by one of the leading photographers in this genre, a book for your bookshelf?
The Art of Photography
Photography is a wonderful medium, and whether you believe it to be art or not, the sheer variety of genres and styles is enough to give any lover of photographs a lifetime of images to enjoy.
While my own bookshelf is dominated by books on landscape photography, there are also books on people, locations, wildlife and even a TV show. I enjoy them all, but they all have one thing in common. Everyone will identify the images in those books as photographs.
The images in We May As Well Dance are very different. They are still photographs (captured using a camera), but the use of ICM and multiple exposures that Valda has expertly adopted produce images that take on an abstract, expressionist style. At first glance, they could be mistaken for paintings or some other form of art.
With We May As Well Dance being such a big departure from the types of photograph I enjoy, would I still be able to enjoy it? Let’s find out in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf.
You can purchase a copy of We May As Well Dance by Valda Bailey directly from Kozu Books - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/we-may-as-well-dance-by-valda-bailey
Sea Signatures by Marianthi Lainas and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S05E10
In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I discover not all photographs are created using cameras. Sea Signatures is a collection of cyanotype photographs created by Marianthi Lainas as she explored the littoral zone of her local coastline. Reading this book has opened my eyes to a whole new type of photography and art, but is it a book for your bookshelf?
Cameraless Photography
Photography comes in many forms, styles, and genres. Even though my own photography journey is leading me towards the development of a particular style of landscape photography, I like to expose myself to a wide range of photographers and styles. I’ve always found that by digesting the images contained in books by photographers that have a vastly different style to me, I can normally learn something about my own photography.
However, Sea Signatures by Marianthi Lainas is something quite different. The images contained in this book aren’t even taken with a camera. Marianthi has used the cyanotype process coupled with her use of mixed media to create a body of work that is unique. They are images created by the sea, but they aren’t seascape images as I would imagine them.
Have I bitten off more than I can chew with this book? Are the images in this book to artistic and abstract? Join me in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf to find out.
You can purchase a copy of Sea Signatures by Marianthi Lainas directly from Kozu Books - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/seasignatures
Kingdom by Norman McCloskey - On My Bookshelf S05E09
What makes a great photography book? Is it the inspiring photographs? Is it the layout and sequencing? Is it the print quality and how it feels in the hand? Or is the feeling you get when you read it? Every now and again a book comes along that ticks all those boxes. Find out why Kingdom by Norman McCloskey is one such book in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf.
A Book That Truly Inspires
I have now made thirty five episodes of On My Bookshelf. That’s a lot of books and that doesn’t even take into account all the books I haven’t made episodes for. The point is, I love photography books. One of the things I try and do though is look at photograph books that don’t always align with the style of photographs I aspire to take. These books could still be on the genre of landscape photography or sometimes something completely different such as street or documentary photography.
Every now and again a book comes along that delivers exactly the style of photography that I aspire to take. One such book was Beara by Norman McCloskey. It rapidly became one of, if not my favourite landscape photography books. I loved it for both for its photographs and for the layout and sequencing of the photographs.
Nearly three years after the release of that book, Norman has just published his third book, Kingdom. Is Norman’s latest body of work still the book I reach for when I want to be inspired? Is it a book for your bookshelf? Let’s find out.
You can purchase a copy of Kingdom by Norman McCloskey directly from Norman at - https://www.normanmccloskey.com/books/kingdom/
Even The Birds Were Afraid To Fly by Al Brydon and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S05E08
In this episode I take a look at Even The Birds Were Afraid To Fly by Al Brydon and published by Kozu Books. Is this collection of "lo-fi" photographs a book for your bookshelf?
Challenging But Rewarding
The On My Bookshelf playlist now has thirty-five videos in it but my passion for photography books shows no signs of slowing down. However, I’m not only looking at books that align with and inspire the style of photographs I like to take, but I’m also trying to expand my photographic horizons by embracing photography from a wide range of styles and genres.
Even the Birds Were Afraid to Fly is a book that falls into the latter category. Sitting down to look through this book I initially struggled to connect with the photographs. I would go as far as to say that I found it challenging and I wasn’t sure what I would say about the photographs.
My experience of looking at so many books has taught me that some photographs need more viewing time before you start to appreciate them. This is very much the case for this book. Well, for me personally at least. It’s time I’m glad I spent though.
Find out why I’ve found this book so rewarding in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf.
You can purchase a copy of Even the Birds Were Afraid to Fly directly from Kozu Books - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/eventhebirdswereafraidtofly
Hidden Worlds by Robbie Shone and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S05E07
Would you be willing journey 2000m below the surface of the earth to capture a photograph? Fortunately for us there are photographers like Robbie Stone who have made the exploration of caves their life. In his book, Hidden Worlds, Robbie shares some the images he has captured over the last 20 years. Is this a book for your bookshelf?
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth
When you think about photographing the landscape you will likely think of mountains, rivers, forests, clouds sunlight. But I would imagine few of us consider photographing the landscape that is below the surface of the earth! And why would we. It’s cold, claustrophobic, dangerous and most importantly there’s no light!
For photographers like Robbie Shone though, what lies beneath our feet is a world of adventure and discovery, and a world that must be photographed. In his book, Hidden Worlds, Robbie shares some of the photographs he has captured over the last 20 years exploring the deepest, longest, and largest caves in the world.
This book offers a view into a fantastical world that most people will never see, but is it a book for your bookshelf?
You purchase a copy of Hidden Worlds by Robbie Shone directly from Kozu Books - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/hidden-worlds-by-robbie-shone
Komorebi by Martin Rak and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S05E06
Komorebi is a book that takes you on a journey into the world of trees, forests and woodland landscapes. But is Martin Rak's book of his favourite woodland images from the last 10 years a book for your bookshelf?
Sunlight Filtering Through the Trees
The team at Kozu Books have a great track record of publishing high quality photography books from a diverse range of photographers. I’ve reviewed some of these books in previous episodes of On My Bookshelf and you can watch those in this handy playlist.
Expanding on their lengthy list of titles, they now bring us Komorebi by Martin Rak. Martin is an award-winning photographer from the Czech Republic. The book features his favourite woodland photographs from the last ten years. The book title, Komorebi, is a Japanese word which roughly translates to “sunlight filtering through trees”. While this is a great summary of the photographs in this book, there is so much more to discover as I find out in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf.
You purchase a copy of Komorebi by Martin Rak directly from Kozu Books at - https://www.kozubooks.com/books-new/komorebi-by-martinrak
Dolomiti Dreamscapes by Sam Gregory - On My Bookshelf S05E05
On My Bookshelf is back and, in this episode, I'm looking at Sam Gregory's 2nd book, Dolomiti Dreamscapes. The book is a personal collection of images inspired by Sam's travels around the Dolomites. But is this book of unique photographs of the Dolomites a book for your bookshelf?
On My Bookshelf is Back!
After a short break, I’m pleased to announce that On My Bookshelf is back! Over the last month, I’ve been stocking my bookshelf with lots of exciting titles from Kozu Books and fotoVUE. However, before I share with you my thoughts on that lot, let’s talk about a very exciting book from Sam Gregory.
A Dream Within a Dream
If you’ve been watching On My Bookshelf for a while, you may remember that back in 2020, I looked at Mesozoic by Sam Gregory. It was a book I thoroughly enjoyed, so when Sam announced he was publishing a new book called Dolomiti Dreamscapes, I need no encouragement to get the credit card out and order one.
Now that I have the book, what is it like? Is it a good addition to my bookshelf? Let’s find out in the latest episode of On My Bookshelf.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of On My Bookshelf, and if you want to pick up a copy of this book, you can order one direct from Sam’s website - samgregory-photography.com/dreamscapes-book
But don’t wait too long. Production is limited to 200 copies!
Other Books to Inspire You
Check out some of the other books I have on my bookshelf.
Explore & Discover South Wales - A fotoVUE Guidebook by Drew Buckley - On My Bookshelf S05E04
A great guidebook can transform your time in an area from random chaos to an efficient voyage of discovery and exploration. Explore & Discover South Wales by Drew Buckley and published by fotoVUE aims to do that for everyone from the casual explorer with a phone camera to the serious landscape photographer.
Exploring South Wales with a fotoVUE Guidebook
You may remember that I recently published a blog post and video about my experience of using a fotoVUE guidebook to explore an area of the Lake District that I hadn’t previously visited. I had a fantastic day and much of the success of the day was due to the advanced planning I was able to do using the information in that book.
When I had the opportunity to make a flying visit to the Brecon Beacons, I decided I’d like to do the same for fotoVUE’s recently rebranded Explore & Discover South Wales (previously Photographing South Wales). However, I was short on time, and what time I was going to have in South Wales I wanted to fill with walking and photography. It’s not that I don’t like to plan and research my photography locations, it’s just sometimes I don’t have the time. For me, this is one of the best reasons for a guidebook. You can benefit from the knowledge and experience of the author.
In the video below I’ll take you with me on my Brecon Beacons walk. I’ll tell you all about Explore & Discover South Wales, why and how I use it, and of course take some landscape photographs, Enjoy!
Buy Explore & Discover South Wales
*** Use the discount code JULIAN to get 20% off all books at fotovue.com ***
If you want to add Explore and Discover South Wales to your bookshelf, you can purchase it directly from fotoVUE here - https://www.fotovue.com/shop/books/photographing-south-wales/
Landscape Photographs from the Walk
Photographing The Lake District 2nd Edition by Stuart Holmes and fotoVUE - On My Bookshelf S05E03
With lakes, mountains, rivers, picturesque villages and Britain's favourite view, the Lake District has it all! In this special episode of On My Bookshelf, I go on location to tell you all about the new and improved 2nd edition of Photographing The Lake District and to try one of the book's new high mountain walks.
Putting a Guidebook to Practical Use
I own more than ten fotoVUE guidebooks. While I’ve read them all, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to put all of them to practical use in the real world. Titles like Photographing Scotland, Photographing Cornwall and Devon and the first fotoVUE book that I purchased, Photographing the Lake District have all had significant use. As with any guidebook, they are a great way to get your photography adventures started in an area when you might not have a lot of time to spend researching location or you simply want a head start.
When the team at fotoVUE asked if they could send me out the new second edition of Photographing The Lake District to feature in an episode of On My Bookshelf, I not only said yes, I said I would film the episode on location in the Lake District. This was a great excuse to visit the Lake District again. Not that I needed a reason to visit the Lake District. It’s a wonderful place to go for any reason.
As well as filming the episode of On My Bookshelf in the Lake District I wanted to take advantage of some of the new and expanded information in this second edition of Photographing The Lake District. The author, Stuart Holmes, has included nine, high mountain walks and being a keen walker myself I was eager to try one of them out.
So, join me in this special episode of On My Bookshelf as I talk all about Photographing The Lake District Second Edition and highlight what’s new and all while I explore and photograph one of the many great locations in this book.
Buy Photographing The Lake District Second Edition
*** Use the discount code JULIAN to get 20% off all books at fotovue.com ***
If you want to add Photographing The Lake District Second Edition to your bookshelf, you can purchase it directly from fotoVUE here - https://www.fotovue.com/shop/books/photographing-the-lake-district-second-edition/
Lake District Photographs from the Walk
Here are the photographs from the video. I hope you enjoy looking at them in higher resolution. (Click on a thumbnail to see the camera settings.)
The Art of Landscape Photography by Ross Hoddinott & Mark Bauer - On My Bookshelf S05E02
In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at The Art of Landscape Photography by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer. Will this book take your landscape photography skills from zero to hero?
Learning Landscape Photography from a Book
YouTube has a rich variety of educational content to suit anything you might want to do with your camera. It is a wonderful place to learn photography. I use YouTube myself to improve my photography skills, and though my channel isn’t focused on photography education, I do still hope that people can still learn something from my videos.
That all said, sometimes the best way to learn something is by using a good old-fashioned book. Getting your education from a book can prove to be a more effective medium than YouTube. If you take the topic of landscape photography composition, which is a broad topic, it can be difficult to find a video, or collection of videos that provide sufficiently broad cover of the subject. Typically, you will only get information on one small topic in each video and unless you know what you don’t know, it can be hard to know what topic to cover next.
A book such as The Art of Landscape Photography will often provide broader coverage of the subject, allowing the reader to consume the information they were looking for, but also highlight areas that they might not have had previously thought about.
I’m not saying that the humble book is the best way to learn photography, but it should feature in the formats of educational content that you do consume.
Now that we have positioned the importance of educational photography books, let’s look at The Art of Landscape Photography to see if it should have a place on your bookshelf.
Book and Author Links
You can purchase your copy of The Art of Landscape Photography here.
You can also get:
From Dawn to Dusk: Mastering the Light in Landscape Photography - https://amzn.to/3GA3jGv
The Landscape Photography Workshop - https://amzn.to/3gu7Gs0
Digital Macro & Close-up Photography: New Edition - https://amzn.to/3rzIeI1
Mark's excellent fotoVUE on Photographing Dorset. *** Use the discount code JULIAN to get 20% off all books if you buy at fotovue.com ***
You can see Ross and Mark's photography on their websites - https://www.rosshoddinott.co.uk/ and https://markbauerphotography.com/
You can also check out their workshops at - https://www.dawn2duskphotography.co.uk/
PHOTOGRAPHING ICELAND Vol 1 & 2 - A fotoVUE Guidebook by James Rushforth - On My Bookshelf S05E01
Are you planning a photography trip to Iceland? Have you photographed Iceland? Or are you simply interested in learning more about the landscape and locations of Iceland? In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at Photographing Iceland Volume 1 and 2 by James Rushforth and published by fotoVUE. It claims to be the most comprehensive and detailed guidebook of Iceland ever published. But as you'll find out in this video, this title is so much more than a guidebook.
So Much More Than a Guidebook
fotoVUE has a solid reputation for producing detailed photography location guidebooks. I know they are detailed because I own many of their guidebooks. The guidebooks for Scotland, The Lake District and Devon & Cornwall have received the most use!
You may remember a few years ago that I filmed a special episode of On My Bookshelf where I joined Nick Livesey on location in Wales to talk about his fotoVUE book, Photographing the Snowdonia Mountains. You can watch that episode here.
The fotoVUE series of guidebooks consumes at least one shelf on my bookshelf and I often find myself reaching for one of the titles to get some inspiration. So, when fotoVUE reached out to me and asked if I’d like to look at their latest title, Photographing Iceland by James Rushforth, I jumped at the chance. I had just returned from my own photographic adventure to Iceland, and I knew that I had barely scratched the surface with my short exploration. I was keen to see what else Iceland had to offer, and possibly where I’d like to go should I return.
Looking through both volumes of Photographing Iceland one thing became apparent. These books are more than just photography location guidebooks. See what I’m talking about in this episode of On My Bookshelf.
Buy Photographing Iceland
*** Use the discount code JULIAN to get 20% off all books at fotovue.com ***
If you want to add Photographing Iceland to your bookshelf, you can purchase the fotoVUE Iceland Collection Bundle, which includes Volume 1 & 2 and the Iceland Adventure & Travel Map, here - https://www.fotovue.com/shop/books/photographing-iceland-volume-1-2-plus-map/
And you can get the limited edition hardcover bundle here - https://www.fotovue.com/shop/uncategorized/limited-edition-of-100-hard-backs-signed-photographing-iceland-volume-1-2-plus-two-maps-and-signed-james-rushforth-iceberg-arch-greenland-print/
Or you can purchase the individual titles here:
Photographing Iceland Volume 1 plus Map - https://www.fotovue.com/shop/books/photographing-iceland-volume-1-map/
Photographing Iceland Volume 2 plus Map - https://www.fotovue.com/shop/books/photographing-iceland-volume-2-map/
Iceland Adventure & Travel Map - Iceland Adventure & Travel Map - https://www.fotovue.com/shop/books/iceland-adventure-and-travel-map/
There are lots of other great guidebooks published by fotoVUE. See their other titles here - fotovue.com
Seascapes by Neil Burnell - On My Bookshelf S04E05
In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at Seascapes by Neil Burnell, a collection of long exposure and fine art coastal photographs.
From Woodlands to Coastlines
Last year I published an episode of On My Bookshelf in which I talked about Neil Burnell’s previous book, Mystical. I thought it was a stunning collection of woodland photographs. So, when Neil announced that he was producing a book focusing on his coastal photography, I jumped straight in and pre-ordered a copy.
That was a little while ago now, but this has allowed me to spend some quality time looking through Seascapes before bringing you this latest episode of On My Bookshelf.
If you’d like to pick up a copy of Seascapes, you can do so directly from Neil’s website here.
Beyond Landscape by Hans Strand - Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S04E04
In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at Beyond Landscape by Hans Strand and published by Kozu Books. Is this retrospective collection of Hans Strand photographs a book for your bookshelf?
I feel like I need to take up carpentry Why? Because I’m going to need a bigger bookshelf! Despite my desire to acquire fewer photography books this year, the last couple of months have seen an influx of new titles. To be fair, they’ve all been titles worth getting. They have all in some way, added something or influenced my photography. Plus, I’ve enjoyed a few lazy Sunday mornings with coffee just enjoying the printed photography of others. One of life's simple pleasures.
When Beyond Landscape arrived in the post, I had high hopes for this retrospective collection of photographs by Hans Strand. In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at Beyond Landscape to see if it is indeed a masterclass in composition.
Sand by Anthony Lamb and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S04E03
In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at Sand by Anthony Lamb and published by Kozu Books. Is this photographic depiction of the Arabian desert a book for your bookshelf?
Finding Room for Another Book
I love photography books. Aside from going out and taking photographs, reading a good photography book is one of the most enjoyable things I do in my photography life. However, books take up valuable space and they cost money, so I’ve been trying to cut back on how many I acquire each year.
Now and again though, a book gets published that I can’t ignore, and Sand by Anthony Lamb is one of them His distinctive style and subject choice mean his photography stands out in a busy social feed. His photographs deserve close inspection. Viewing photographs on a social feed is one thing, so when I heard that Kozu Books were publishing a book of his photographs, I knew I wanted it.
But now that I have it, what is it like? Let’s find out in this episode of On My Bookshelf!
Aspen by Adam Gibbs and Published by Kozu Books - On My Bookshelf S04E02
On My Bookshelf is back and in this episode, I'm looking at Aspen, a photozine by Adam Gibbs and published by Kozubooks. Is this collection of autumnal landscape photographs from Abraham Lake and the Kootenay Plains a book for your bookshelf?
OMBS Is Back!
After a break of a few months, I’m pleased to say that On My Bookshelf is back! To celebrate the start of a new season of On My Bookshelf I’m looking at a photozine by Adam Gibbs called Aspen, It’s published by Kozubooks, who have been building up an amazing line of photography books including Tides and Tempests by Rachael Talibart (which featured on OMBS last year).
I’ve been following the work of Adam Gibbs for a few years now. I first became aware of his work when he won the International Landscape Photographer of the Year competition 2018. This then led me onto his YouTube channel where I found his photography compelling, and I enjoyed his style of presentation. In particular, Adam was photographing areas of the world that I had not seen before.
When Adam published his video of a recent trip to Aspen, I knew that I needed to look at the photozine he later published of that trip. Now that I’ve got my copy, I wanted to share my thoughts about the zine so you too can decide if it should be a title for your bookshelf. Enjoy!
Wildlife Photographer of the Year - Highlights Volumes - On My Bookshelf S04E01
Great photography books don't need to cost a fortune. In this mini episode of On My Bookshelf I look at Wildlife Photographer of the Year Highlights Volumes.
Small in Size, Big on Quality
Following on from my blog post last week where I told you what my favourite six books on landscape photography were, I’ve decided this week to look at a completely different genre of photography. While I’m not a wildlife photographer myself, I still love looking at wildlife pictures, particularly those found in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
After a few years of not buying the competition book, I was delighted to find that the competition publishes smaller, paperback versions of the big hardback books. These are known as the Highlights Volumes and they are a great way to view some of the word class photography that this prestigious competition attracts.
In this mini-episode of On My Bookshelf, I look at these mini-books to see if it is worth finding a space for them on my bookshelf.
You can pick up copies of these books using the links below.